The Semantics of Gradual, Conditional, and Introductory Abrogation from Point of View of Ayatollah Ma'refat

Abstract

Allameh Ma'refat used terms such as "conditional abrogation", "introductory abrogation" and "gradual abrogation", seeking to resolve the doubts surrounding the abrogation in the holy Qur'an and to prevent the path of sarcasm to it. Since this theory was presented at the end of his lifetime and he couldn’t address and analyse it, some ambiguities have been proposed on the theory, causing confusion and non-separation of above mentioned three terms. The present paper argued that “the conditional abrogation” is the gradual change of a sentence by changing conditions, which with the return of the former condition the verdict can be restored too, e.g. in the verses “forgiveness” (ṣafḥ) and “fighting” (qitāl) or in the verse “the number of fighters”; and “the introductory abrogation” is the gradual change of the decree which has been an introduction to complete removal of that, e.g. hitting the shrew women and the steps of abrogating slavery, in that the verdict was as an introduction to their gradual abrogation. Therefore, graduality is the joint point of conditional and introductory abrogation, and “gradual abrogation” is true to both of them, but the different considerations of changing circumstances and dispositions, separate their boundaries. The lack of concentration on the discussion by Allameh on the one hand, and, on the other, the false or incomplete perception of some scholars on his views, has led the purpose of this article to be new.

Keywords

• gradual abrogation
• conditional abrogation
• introductory abrogation
• allameh ma'refat